Only God Can Save Me

While riding on a lightrail train a while back, I saw a guy wearing a shirt that I thought read "Only God can save me." As it turned out, the shirt actually said "Only God can judge me." I like my version better.

Saying that "only God can judge me" gives us license to do whatever we want, unrestrained by social conventions, common courtesy, or even basic morality. It is to proudly say that we are unwilling to change our behavior, even if the ability is well within our reach. Pride is a prevalent problem in each person's lives individually and in the world in general (If you don't believe me, ask Ezra Taft Benson), and when we say "only God can judge me," we are pridefully asserting that we refuse to address our vices and that no one has any right to comment on them or complain about them.

Saying that "only God can save me" is to admit that we have vices; vices that only God can remove. It is to humbly say that we are willing to change our natures to more closely match God's, even if the ability escapes us. Sin is a prevalent problem in the world in general and in each person's lives individually, and when we say "only God can save me," we are admitting the truth that only God can save us from ourselves and from the influence of the world.

I'm not sure if there's a T-Shirt that says "Only God Can Save Me." I wouldn't be surprised if there were, especially since I'm sure that one could be made easily. If there were one, and if I had one, I wonder if I'd be brave enough to wear it. It would take a certain amount of guts to tell everyone that "only God can judge me," but it probably takes a comparable amount of courage to say that "only God can save me."

I don't know what it is about sin that makes people want to keep it secret. Is it just embarrassment? Is it the influence of Satan, trying to prevent people from seeking, offering, or accepting help from others? Whatever the reason, many people have at least some internal reluctance to admit that only God can save them, and when their vices do come to light, some people then become defensive, essentially saying that only God can judge them, and maybe not even Him. I want to be a better person than that. I want to be humble enough to admit that I have many problems that I need God's help to solve. And I want to have the courage to reach out to others and remind them that only God has the power to save us, and even then, only if we have the courage to admit that we need saving.